Britain's Restaurant Group 2017 profit falls over 26 pct

March 7 (Reuters) - Restaurant Group Plc, the owner of the Frankie & Benny’s chain, reported a 26.4 percent fall in 2017 pre-tax profit on Wednesday as Britons spent less on eating and drinking out.

The company, which operates 498 restaurants and pubs in the UK under brands such as Chiquito and Coast To Coast, said underlying pretax profit fell to 56.7 million pounds ($78.79 million) in the year ended Dec. 31, from 77.1 million pounds in the previous year.

Sales at outlets open over a year fell 3 percent, while revenue for the year declined 4.4 percent to 679.3 million pounds.